SHRM konference - dag 3

Der var gang i den da Zappos inspirerende leder, Tony Hsieh tog scenen, og blæste alle tidligere keynote speakere ned fra podiet. Alle glemte varmen udenfor og kulden indenfor.

Jeg har lånt en beskrivelse af Hsiehs præsentation fra TNLT :

What made it such a great speech? For one, because it allowed Tony to speak to the critical need for a strong company culture and a set of values for all employees. This is what Zappos is known for, and it should resonate with HR people everywhere because what Zappos in managing their corporate culture is what all organization’s should be doing.

Hsieh didn’t start his career with a strong focus on company culture. Early in his career, when he owned a small company called Link Exchange, he simply hired friends and friends of friends. But as Tony notes, that worked well until the company had about 20 employees — “and we ran out of friends.” He had to finally make real hires (non-friends, real employees), and it was during this process that he began to understand how important company culture really is.

Zappos, a company known (and lauded) for selling cool shoes and having a great culture with top drawer customer service, has been lauded and written about over and over again. Much of it came after Zappos was acquired by Amazon.com and there were fears that Amazon would swallow Zappos and its famous culture.

But, Hsieh had a pre-condition before any sale to Amazon could take place: the company had to remain independent so that Zappos could continue to control the company culture. And so it happened. Amazon did not absorb Zappos into Amazon, and they continue to let Hsieh run it as a separate and independent operation — to the benefit of both companies.

According to Tony, Zappos is a “service company that just happens to sell shoes … we want to build the Zappos brand to be about the very best in customer service and customer experience.” To do that, Hsieh and the Zappos team keeps coming back to the same question: How do we wow our customers?

How Zappos wows customers and drives its culture
Good question, and Hsieh gave some examples of things Zappos does that drives company culture and allows them to do all that customer wowing:

•                Every applicant that Zappos interviews is interviewed twice — and one is specifically for cultural fit. No one gets hired if they aren’t right.

•                Half — 50 percent — of an employee’s performance review at Zappos is about how well they work in the Zappos culture.

•                Although many Zappos employees are on social media, the company has a very simple social media policy with just two rules — a) be real, and b) use your best judgment.

•                Zappos has 10 core values that employees are expected to live by. Interview questions of job applicants focus heavily on these core values.

•                The toughest core value to assess and really get to, according to Hsieh, is “Be Humble.” Sometimes, candidates fail the interview by copping an attitude with the shuttle driver taking them to the airport after their interview is over. As Tony said, “If the shuttle driver has an issue with them, they don’t get hired.”

•                Other executives frequently tell Hsieh that although Zappos values and culture are great, “it would never work at my company.” But Tony responds to that by saying, “it doesn’t matter what your core values are … as long as you commit to them” and align the organization to them.

There was a lot more, of course, but Tony Hseih comes off as a confident yet somewhat humble executive who is not only proud of what he has accomplished, but driven to continue to push his customer-focused, culturally-driven business model ahead. That he was able to sell the company to Amazon but be able to continue to lead it and keep the unique Zappos experience independent really says a lot about his skills and ability as an executive.

What great companies have in common
He points to two qualities that are featured in the classic business book Good to Great as the the key qualities that just about all long-time great companies had in common:

1.              They all had strong cultures; and,

2.              They all had a vision for the company that had a higher sense of purpose.

Hsieh says that this “higher sense of purpose” is a critical component of company culture as well. “Do what you love and your passion will carry you through,” he said, because it will “get you through tough times, rub off on others,” and will probably help you to be successful.

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Så er der én dag tilbage af konferencen, som (næsten) er foregået I god ro og orden. Dog var der en demonstration fra tidligere SHRM medlemmer udenfor konferencecenteret. De var utilfredse med en række forhold internt I organisationen bl.a. at bestyrelsesmedlemmer flyver på 1.st klasse. 

SHRM konference - dag 2

Dag 2 på SHRM

Der er ikke længere prærieulve i Las Vegas – måske bortset fra dem der 24/7 sidder ved de enarmede og håber på den store gevinst, og lysene blinker og maskinerne bimler og bamler.

Men der er ca. 14.000 deltagere på SHRM konferencen i Las Vegas. Jeg skrev i går, at der var 18.000 deltagere, men det lader til, at man i år lander på ”kun” 14.000 Blandt disse er der 1.100 ikke-amerikanere, og heriblandt meget få danskere. Men det er jo også midt i vores ferietid, Roskilde Festival, Wimbledon og Touren.

Huffington

Huffington Post er et nyt nyhedsmedie, som tager sit udgangspunkt i blogs. Det er blevet et meget stærkt alternativ til de traditionelle nyhedsmedier i USA, og kvinden, Arianna Huffington, som begyndte dette blog-nyhedsmedie, var i dag hovedtaler på SHRM. Hendes forretningsmæssige bedrift har været at opbygge dette nye medie og derefter sælge det til AOL (America On Line).

Hun talte lidt springende om forskellige temaer. Her iblandt:

•                A nod to the importance of HR: Huffington said she really learned about the “incredible value” of HR with the Huffington Post, especially “how much you (HR professionals) affect everyone’s life in the workplace.”

•                On the balance between online vs. offline life: Not many people who have made a huge splash in the Internet world would ever say this, but Huffington said that “the qualities and values we look for online are the same we look for offline.” She listed four of these qualities she believes are important — trust, authenticity, empathy, and giving back.

•                On why naps (and nap rooms) are important in the workplace: “I urge you in HR to institute a nap room in your work environment,” Huffington said, because a simple 20 minute nap can do wonders to rejuvenate an employee. And in a nod to a potential HR issue, she added, “we haven’t seen many disappear in pairs (into the nap room), but we’re watching for it.”

•                On a balanced life: Huffington seemed particularly energetic when she discussed the importance of balance in life and the need to unplug and recharge. Getting away from our hyper-connected society is incredibly important, she said, and that’s surprising coming from someone who’s work these past few years as largely been predicated in getting people to be MORE connected online.

•                On the challenges and economic struggles we’re currently facing: “We’re living through a time of very deep challenges,” Huffington said. “Clearly, those of us working are the lucky ones.” She noted that the United States is listed at No. 10, behind France, in upward mobility, and she felt that this clearly is felt by so many college graduates in the U.S. who get out of school only to find there are not enough

Huffington er i dag ved at blive en markant rollemodel for kvinder I USA. Hun talte på SHRM samme dag som en ny kvindelig præsidentkandidat meldte sig til valgkampen næste år.

Sundhed
En SHRM-undersøgelse vedr. frynsegoder viste at der er store fordele ved at fokusere på sundhed og velvære. Overraskende få virksomheder har kastet sig over dette emne:

Given the number of employers looking for ways to cut health care costs without reducing benefits, Schmit says that few have turned to wellness programs, which Schmit said is surprising. According to the survey, the percentage of companies offering these programs has hovered around 59 percent between 2007 and 2011.

“We don’t see wellness programs growing,” Schmit said. “There’s a huge opportunity here. In a meta-analysis of 56 studies that look at the impact of wellness programs, it was found that for one dollar spent an employer can reap six dollars of benefit. It’s surprising that more organizations aren’t taking advantage of them.”

Generationer

Der er meget tale om generationsforskelle, og hertil kommer en større fokusering på de ældre. Når den hurtigst voksende aldersgruppe er de 100-årige, så er der brug for udviklingsaktiviteter for alle over 60.

Ved en præsentation af Linda Robertson, sagde hun bl.a.

“Don’t just give your employees retirement education, says Linda Robertson, CEBS. Give them broader financial education.

 “We’ve got to move away from traditional retirement education,” said Robertson. “That’s not going to improve their situation. … Bring general financial education into your retirement education.”

The messaging isn’t just a question of age. “Women are under much more financial stress than men,” she said.”

Der foregår selvfølgelig meget andet bl.a. på de ca. 200 sessions. Dem vil jeg samle op på senere.

SHRM konferencen dag 1

Dag 1 på SHRM konferencen (26. Juli) I Las Vegas.

Når ca. 18.000 HR-folk samles så er det stort. Og når det så foregår i Las Vegas på denne årstid, så bliver der også varmt – godt 40 C. Men så drejer amerikanerne på den kolde hane, og så nærmer temperaturen sig 10 C. Sådan føles det i det mindste. Og så er det koldt.

Og der er en kvidren fra Twitter, som virker allestedsnærværende.

Førstedagen blev præget af åbningen med superiværksætteren Richard Branson som hovedtaler. Den store HR-messe åbnede og der blev offentliggjort en ny HR-undersøgelse.

Richard Branson
Han holdt en såkaldt “Stump Speech” – altså – der stilles spørgsmål til ham. Her er et udpluk af hans betragtninger:

•                On hiring talent for his Virgin Atlantic airlines: “For each person we hire, 400 apply … In the airlines, if you can get everything right (for both customers and employees) … everyone will be cheerful and happy … ands it doesn’t cost that much more.” Customers compliment the employee when the business is well-run, “and then (the employee) enjoys the job more and you then get more great people” applying to come work for you.

•                When asked if all his ventures have been successful: “You wouldn’t be a proper entrepreneur if everything was a success … you need to get out there and try things.”

•                On providing workplace flexibility for workers in a 24/7/365 world: “Workplace flexibility is critical for success, but American companies are particularly bad at it … many of your workers would like more flexibility — job sharing, part-time employment, a six-month leave of absence … and the number of holidays people are given in America stinks. It’s horrendous.”

•                On offering rewards and incentives to employees: “All these HR departments can offer a prize to their staff by sending them into space (on Virgin Galatic) … or offer a one-way trip for their CEOs!”

•                On building a socially conscious business: “Every company should be a force for the good … to really inspire your staff and customers (his non-profit socially-conscious organization is Virgin Unite). If you leave it to government’s to solve it … they don’t have an entrepreneurial way to tackle (social problems).”

HR Undersøgelse
Et andet element, der prægede dag 1 var offentliggørelsen af en stor HR-undersøgelse: SHRM/Globoforce employee engagement survey. Hovedkonklusionen må være, at næsten alle af de 700 adspurgte HR-folk peger på (99 pct) at engagement i arbejdet vil være den største udfordring. Interessant er det, at hele 86 pct. måler niveauet for engagement, men det gøres via exit-interviews, blandt de medarbejdere som slev beslutter at forlade arbejdspladsen.

Nogle andre tal fra undersøgelsen viser:

•                54 percent of HR leaders do not think managers and supervisors at their company effectively acknowledge and appreciate employees;

•                69 percent believe employees are not satisfied with the level of recognition they receive at work;

•                44 percent of respondents do not think their employees are rewarded according to job performance;

•                Only 37 percent of HR leaders said they tie employee recognition programs to corporate values;

•                Less than half — 43 percent  – recognize employees based on performance related to the organization’s financial goals.

Jeg vil forsøge at vende tilbage med nyheder fra dag 2 i morgen.

HR Gazetten - Nr 48

HR-Gazetten fra Claus Hellmann – Juni 2011

# 48 Opdatering af HR                                          

www.hellmann.dk – Hellmann HRS

Kontakt: mailto:hellmannhansen@gmail.com  

1. Webinar om International HR.
Tidligere på måneden afholdt jeg et webinar. Jeg venter stadig på lydfilen, men hvis du vil se slideshowet, så gå til http://www.slideshare.net/Hellmannhrs/webinar-2011-plus-shrm

2. Mængder af gratis software

Hvorfor betale for software, når der er så meget, der ligger gratis på  Internet? www.bigbrains.com/free-software/

3. Læring for ”alle pengene”
En adgang til al den læring (og meget mere), som du har ønsker om – gratis:

http://mindshift.kqed.org/2011/05/10-open-education-resources-you-may-not-know-about-but-should/

4. E-fagbogen er nu over os
Skønlitterære e-bøger har været meget populære i nogen tid. Nu kommer fagbøgerne med. En bog er ikke længere en bog – se her hvad Mike Matas kan vise:

http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/mike_matas.html

5. Mobil-eksplosion og infographer

Status over brugen af mobile enheder gennemført ved en pædagogisk infograph, som er en ny måde at kommunikere på:

http://gigaom.com/collaboration/infographic-the-enterprise-mobile-explosion/

6. Konference 4. Oktober – Sociale medier og HR
Vi er en gruppe konsulentfirmaer, der er ved at planlægge en spændende konference: Sociale Medier og HR - lære, videndele, netværke, rekruttere og innovere Hvis du allerede nu vil deltage,  så gå til http://www.linkedin.com/groups/Sociale-Medier-og-HR-lære-3949314

Du er meget velkommen til at sende nyhedsbrevet videre til kolleger o.a., som kan have interesse i det. Har du ikke lyst til at modtage nyhedsbrevet, bedes du venligst sende en e-mail til os med teksten: ”Ønsker ikke nyhedsbrev”.

Tilmelding kan ske ved at sende en e-mail til Helga Sinding.

Mange HR-hilsener

Claus Hellmann Hansen

PS Husk at du kan læse tidligere HR-nyhedsbreve på www.hrnyhedsbrev.blogspot.com

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